ISLAND LIFE AT DIAMOND LAKE - FROM OUTLINE OF TOPICS - #2
“You’ll never make the ferry if your clocks aren’t set to Island Time,” my new neighbor explained. “Picnics, meetings, the Fourth of July Parade, EVERYTHING runs on Island Time.”
“I get it, Kay” I responded. “You’re telling me that because Diamond Isle is in the state of Michigan, we’re on Eastern Standard Time and our clocks have to be set one hour ahead of South Bend and Chicago time.”
“No, no, no!” she replied a trifle impatiently. “That’s what they do on the Mainland. Island Time is always Central Standard Time. It’s very logical because almost 100% of the Islanders are from Indiana and Illinois. Island time is simpler.
We soon discovered that Island Time was more than what the clock said. It was also a state of mind focused on maximizing every minute possible to spend on the Island. Island Time governed our actions all summer long.
It began on Thursday evenings. Courtney (13) and Evan (11) filled their back packs with clothes and games. Don filled up the gas tank so we wouldn’t have to waste time the next day. I put the steaks or chicken for Saturday’s barbecue into a plastic bag with the marinade or sauce I had prepared and wrote instructions for our housekeeper, Bertha. On Friday, Don and I left for work an hour early. Bertha packed the ice chest adding sandwiches for Friday night and frozen hot dogs or hamburgers for Sunday.
After school, the kids boarded a Chicago bus lugging the ice chest between them. Exactly at 4:25 PM we all met at our car in the parking lot of the Sears Tower. And the race was on! If we could make it to the Skyway before 5:00 pm, we’d be at the ferry by7:00 PM and still have the rest of the evening to enjoy the Lake and the Island. One little accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway could delay our arrival up to an hour and a half!
After school, the kids boarded a Chicago bus lugging the ice chest between them. Exactly at 4:25 PM we all met at our car in the parking lot of the Sears Tower. And the race was on! If we could make it to the Skyway before 5:00 pm, we’d be at the ferry by7:00 PM and still have the rest of the evening to enjoy the Lake and the Island. One little accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway could delay our arrival up to an hour and a half!
Commuting Islanders (Dads and some families) came on Friday and left Sunday evening or Monday morning. Mondays were tricky. You had to get up by 4:00 AM to make the 5:00 AM ferry. The ferry only held 4 cars and seven Islanders were always waiting for the first run!
To maximize Island Time the unwritten Island law was NEVER to go back to the mainland once you reach the Island. Wives who stayed up at the lake with the kids had maximizing Island Time down to a science. Once a week they would make one three hour trip into town. First stop was the laundromat. Multiple washers were started simultaneously. Next was the Drug Store to stock up on band aids, Iodine, Mosquito Repellent and hard liquor. Farm Boy Produce Market followed. Then, back to the laundromat where the older kids pitched in to fill the dryers. The big grocery shopping for the week was done at either Hardings or Buy Low.These stores also stocked the unofficial Island drink, Bud Light.Then it was back to the laundromat to fold the clothes. It was a piece of cake after that. Just pick up sandwiches for the kids’ lunch at Porkys and head back to the Island.
If company was expected that weekend, extra stops would be made at Shaeffers Meat Market for steaks and Sue’s Farm Stand for flowers and strawberries. Back on the ferry, the elapsed time was recorded and dated.
If company was expected that weekend, extra stops would be made at Shaeffers Meat Market for steaks and Sue’s Farm Stand for flowers and strawberries. Back on the ferry, the elapsed time was recorded and dated.
All the wives were competing to beat Sharon’s one time off-Island record of two hours and 50 minutes. Everyone said that her time was all the more amazing because she had five children. This friendly contest was very real though rarely admitted to openly. Each summer, as Back-to-School time approached, Sharon’s ability to maximize Island Time was truly dazzling. She and the kids departed for Chicago on the 6:30 AM ferry. The five Doctor appointments for shots and eye exams started at 9:00 AM and ended at 3:00 PM. An extra hour was allotted for lunch and refilling the gas tank. Sharon always made the ferry back to the Island by 5:30 PM. Just in time for dinner and a bonfire.
As our own two children grew a little older, we learned about the great youth and adult sailing programs available at the Diamond Lake Yacht Club. We joined the club and the whole family took up sailing which was wonderful.
Not so wonderful was the time issue. Now we were dealing with two time zones simultaneously! Our calendars were cluttered with two time notations for every event. The abbreviations “IT ” and “MT”were suppose to clarify them. And they did. Except when we forgot to mark down that vital information. A hurried flurry of phone calls would ensue.
Finally, we bit the bullet. We became a two- clock cottage. The clock for Michigan time was very modern because to us it represented new, forward time. The second clock was nautical, echoing our cottage décor. And it told us the simpler time, Island Time.
Not so wonderful was the time issue. Now we were dealing with two time zones simultaneously! Our calendars were cluttered with two time notations for every event. The abbreviations “IT ” and “MT”were suppose to clarify them. And they did. Except when we forgot to mark down that vital information. A hurried flurry of phone calls would ensue.
Finally, we bit the bullet. We became a two- clock cottage. The clock for Michigan time was very modern because to us it represented new, forward time. The second clock was nautical, echoing our cottage décor. And it told us the simpler time, Island Time.
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